Grade Appeals Process for Faculty and Administrators
Policy Statement
A student who wishes to appeal a grade is advised: (1) to seek assurance from the Registrar that no mechanical error occurred, and (2) to speak with the Instructor of the course. If the student feels uncomfortable approaching the Instructor, s/he may request an appointment with the Department Chair, or the Academic Dean if the Chair is also the Instructor. Oftentimes the issue can be resolved without a formal grade appeal.
If the student decides to file a formal grade appeal, the following procedures are to be followed:
Procedures
Phase One: Initial Filing and Conferences
- The student obtains guidelines from the Academic Dean of the college in which the course was offered. They will state that Form No.1, Student Information, must be filed with the Instructor, the Department Chair, and the Academic Dean within 60 days from the date of the Registrar's date of record.
- The Instructor schedules a conference with the student within 10 days of having received Form No. 1. Within one week of the conference, Form No. 2, Conference with Course Instructor, must be submitted to the Department Chair and to the student, indicating the Instructor's disposition of the appeal. (Mitigating circumstances may be presented to the Department Chair, or the Academic Dean if the Instructor is also the Chair, which could excuse a face-to-face conference. In that case, the Department Chair, or the Dean as the case may be, shall require the Instructor to submit a written explanation of the grade given to the student within the required time frame.)
- In cases where the Instructor is not the Department Chair, the student may appeal the Instructor's decision within 10 days in writing to the Chair, who will schedule a meeting with the student within one week of having received the written appeal. Within one week of the meeting, the Department Chair must issue Form No. 3, Conference with the Department Chair, to the Instructor and to the student.
Phase Two: The College Grade Appeal Committee
Each college constructs a Grade Appeal Committee annually, made up of one full-time or pro rata faculty member from each department in the college.
The student, after receiving the disposition of the case from Phase One, may decide to continue the process by submitting within 10 days to the Academic Dean a request for a review by a grade review committee.
- Within two weeks of having received the student's request, the Academic Dean will appoint three faculty members, designating one as Chair, from the college's Grade Appeal Committee, excluding members from the department delivering the course. The Dean will also appoint two students, exclusive of those in the same class in which the contested grade was assigned and those in the same major as the appealing student. The Dean will be present at the review as an observer.
- The Chair is responsible for
- obtaining prior written, signed and dated consent from the student allowing the committee to review records pertinent to the grade appeal review;
- obtaining assurance of confidentiality from the members of the committee;
- informing the members of the committee about the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act;
- convening a meeting of the review committee and distributing documentation in a timely fashion to all parties;
- assuring that committee members proceed in a manner that provides both parties due process;
- providing for taping of the review at the request of either party; giving either party a copy of the tape(s) upon request; and giving the Dean the tape(s) to be retained for three years;
- submitting to the Dean within one week of the meeting all records from the review and Form No. 4, Findings of the Grade Appeal Committee, including its finding based on majority vote and signed by all members, and a minority report, if applicable, as a statement of reservations or as a dissenting opinion.
- The finding of the Academic Dean, which will be communicated to the Instructor and to the student, Form No. 5, Findings of the Academic Dean, is the final step of the grade appeal process. Further appeals of the matter are not available.
- Appeals on alleged violations of the process described herein may be made to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Related Policies
Related Committees
History
04/10/04 - Approved by the Vice President for Academic Affairs